NOTE: In 2017, assessment participation was calculated two ways: First, the 2017 participation rate for each subgroup in each subject area test was calculated. If the actual 2017 participation rate was lower than 95 percent (high schools) or 90 percent (schools and districts administering Next-Generation MCAS test in grades 3-8) for any group in any subject, that rate was compared to the average of the most recent two years of assessment participation data for that group and subject. The higher of the two resulting rates was factored into the assignment of the school or district's 2017 accountability and assistance level.

Accountability and Assistance Levels: All Massachusetts schools and districts with sufficient data are classified into one of five accountability and assistance levels (1-5), with the highest performing in Level 1 and lowest performing in Level 5. In general, a district is classified into the level of its lowest performing school, unless the district was independently classified into Level 4 or 5 as a result of action by the Board of Elementary and Secondary Education. Schools and districts that administered the Next Generation MCAS assessment in grades 3-8 in 2017 have not been placed into Levels 1-3 on the basis of their assessment results, but may have been assigned an accountability an assistance level (3-5) for other reasons, as noted on this report.

School Percentiles: A school percentile between 1 and 99 is reported for schools with at least four years of data. This number is an indication of the school's overall performance relative to other schools that serve the same or similar grades. School percentiles were not calculated for schools that administered the Next Generation MCAS assessment in grades 3-8 in spring 2017.

Determination of need for special education technical assistance or intervention: The U.S. Department of Education requires Massachusetts to determine which districts (including single school districts) have specific needs for technical assistance or intervention in the area of special education. A district’s determination is based on five categories: Meets Requirements (MR); Meets Requirements-At Risk (MRAR); Needs Technical Assistance (NTA); Needs Intervention (NI); and Needs Substantial Intervention (NSI). In most cases these categories correspond to the district's accountability and assistance level, except when the district has specific compliance needs. This designation helps signal whether outcomes for all students in the district indicate progress, including that of students with disabilities, or whether technical assistance and/or intervention is needed to improve outcomes for all children, especially students with disabilities. Upon classification of a district into Level 3, two additional focus areas for special education will be reviewed at the district level and may require action: (A) over-identification of low-income students as eligible for special education and (B) inordinate separation of students with disabilities across low income and/or racial groups.

Cumulative Progress and Performance Index (PPI): The cumulative PPI combines information about narrowing proficiency gaps, growth, and graduation and dropout rates over four years into a single number between 0 and 100. For a group to be considered to be making progress toward narrowing proficiency gaps, its cumulative PPI must be 75 or higher. Annual and cumulative PPIs were not calculated for schools and districts that administered the Next Generation MCAS assessment in grades 3-8 in spring 2017.